Disaster Relief

When Superstorm Sandy slammed into the Far Rockaway neighborhood of Queens, New York, six months ago, storm waters rushed into the Challenge Preparatory Charter School. Shrimp, fish, and snakes swam in the lower-level kindergarten classrooms, including the one where Rosemarie Eshcevarria taught.

On May 12, 2008, I had plane tickets that less than three weeks later were to take me from Los Angeles to Hong Kong, and then on to Chengdu, China, the capital of Sichuan province in the southwestern region of the country. But that day, a massive earthquake struck Sichuan.

As the Syrian refugee crisis deepens, World Vision is increasingly concerned about the risk of child marriage among girls as young as 12, as parents fleeing violence in Syria struggle to protect their children amid a deepening humanitarian emergency.

Today's post -- the fourth in our weekly series about the Syrian conflict and refugee crisis -- is the story of an 8-year-old Syrian girl, Jouri, who loves learning but can't go to school in Lebanon. But now, having been enrolled in a World Vision education program,Jouri has hope.

If you missed them, check out the first, second, and third posts from this series.

In today's post by World Vision's Michael Bailey: A father struggles to find work and enough food to feed his family. A mother longs to hear from her 20-year-old son living in the war zone. Children sit and wait, idly passing hours and days, dreaming of going home to be with friends.

As today marks the two-year anniversary of the historic earthquake and tsunami in Japan, residents are making progress toward rebuilding their lives and communities. World Vision has helped almost 300,000 people in three of the worst-affected areas – Miyagi, Iwate, and Niigata prefectures.

A mock emergency event prompts 130 youth and community leaders from across the country to jump in and learn life-saving tactics during a January workshop, hosted by World Vision and local and international agencies. Participants get to put skills -- from medical and spiritual care, GPS navigation to security detail -- to the test.

Click here for updates on the situation and World Vision's response in the Solomon Islands.

Wednesday, February 6, a magnitude-8.0 earthquake followed by several forceful aftershocks generated tsunami waves nearly five feet high that battered Santa Cruz Island in Temotu province of the Solomons.

While French and Malian troops continue their drive to force rebels out of major centers in northern Mali, World Vision communications manager Maria Mutya Frio spoke to those who have fled conflict zones.

Mali enjoyed two decades of democratic rule until the growing rebel insurgency led to a military coup in March 2012, leaving the former French colony with a weakened government. World Vision began working here in 1975 and is especially concerned for displaced children and families as fighting escalates in the north. Please join World Vision in prayer for the people of Mali.

During the recent conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, I was evacuated along with other World Vision colleagues to Gisenyi, Rwanda, a town a little more than a mile across the border.

We were later allowed to return to Goma to help civilians who had been displaced. Rebels of the March 23 (M23) movement were in charge of the city, and thousands of people had lost their homes and sense of stability.

On January 12, 2010, a 7.0-magnitude earthquake shook Haiti and shaped a generation. While its duration was brief, the devastation it caused continues to affect the people of this small country -- the poorest in the Western Hemisphere. Three years later, Haiti is still in repair, but not without hope.

An 8-year-old Syrian refugee child named Layla* shares, “I saw my cousin dying in front of me, so I always see this scene in front of my eyes.”

As children all over North America happily rummage through the cheerful remains of Christmas Day’s joys -- festive gift wrap strewn about, the latest version of Halo blaring from 40-inch television screens -- the existence of Syrian children presently seeking refuge in Lebanon is one far less carefree.

In this season of joy, it’s difficult to fathom that at least 66,000 children like Layla are coping with the loss of home and childhood as their families struggle to survive the displacement of war and onset of a cold, snowy winter in Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley.

My hope for you this week is that you’ll experience the blessing of sitting at the Thanksgiving table with friends and family. I plan to enjoy Thanksgiving with my wife Reneé, several of my kids, and our grandson. One of my favorite Thanksgiving traditions is to go around the table and each share something that we are thankful for.

IMAGE: Carmen Rodriguez and her daughter, Zulma Torruella, 17, acquired relief supplies, including a Family Food Kit, at the Hunts Point Alliance for Children, World Vision's local partner. (Photo: Laura Reinhardt/World Vision)

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Last month, World Vision's Laura Reinhardt reported on the devastation of Superstorm Sandy as it made landfall along highly populated areas of the U.S. East Coast, including New York City.

As Americans celebrate Thanksgiving, Laura remembers the families she met during that heartrending time -- and gives thanks for the World Vision supporters whose generosity enabled the assistance we've been able to provide.

World Vision's Laura Reinhardt, on assignment in the Northeast to cover the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy, recounts the heartrending story of 5-year-old Junior Gonzalez and his family, whose home in Brooklyn was devastated by the storm.